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9780813145013

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Growing Democracy in Japan is the only book in English that explicates the development of the cabinet system, the key institution in Japanese government. Woodall strikes the right level of detail, and his writing is lively. -- John Creighton Campbell, emeritus, University of Michgan

[...] [T]he multidisciplinary approach he uses is very effective in understanding the complexity of the question of democracy in Japan. [...] [T]here are crucial lessons to learn from Japan and this can assist other countries in understanding the challenges they will face in turning to a democratic cabinet system of governing. -- Journal of Japanese Studies Growing Democracy in Japan is a scholarly contribution to the understanding of an important -- indeed central -- aspect of Japanese government and politics. -- J. A.A. Stockwin, author of Governing Japan: Divided Politics in a Resurgent Economy In this book Woodall makes a valuable contribution to the study of Japanese politics by carefully examining the historical development of the cabinet system, literally the centre of the Japanese government. [...] Utilizing a wealth of both Japanese and English documents, Woodall chronologically traces the evolution of Japan's cabinet system by focusing on major political actors, their interactions, and political structures at different times, or critical junctures. [...] [T]his book is a welcome addition to the literature on Japanese politics. -- Matching in analytical depth what it attains in historical breadth, this book raises a question often posed but never satisfactorily answered until now: why has Japan failed to evolve into a fully-functioning Westminster-style cabinet system? --Aurelia George Mulgan, University of New South Wales -- Pacific Affairs Woodall addresses an important question in the field of Japanese politics: Why hasn't the cabinet wielded more authority in the Japanese version of parliamentary government? To unravel this puzzle, Woodall carefully situates the Japanese case in a cross-national comparative perspective, and then delves into the history in its full complexity. He applies a keen analytical lens, demonstrating how crafty bureaucrats and wily backbenchers have resisted cabinet control. --Steven K. Vogel, University of California, Berkeley -- Growing Democracy in Japan is the only book in English that explicates the development of the cabinet system, the key institution in Japanese government. Woodall strikes the right level of detail, and his writing is lively. -- John Creighton Campbell, emeritus, University of Michgan

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Brian Woodall is associate professor at the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs, Georgia Institute of Technology, USA.

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